1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to virtual regulated casino-type gaming systems and business processes and, more particularly, to an improved casino on-site, regulated off-site and regulated Internet remote gaming experience.
2. Prior Art
A Hodges et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,424 discloses a remote gaming system for use with a wagering or gambling establishment such as a casino. A player participates in a selected one of a plurality of live wagering games from a remote location. The system includes a croupier station, a credit station, and a remotely located player station. The player station includes a live game display for displaying a selected one of a plurality of games being played at the croupier station, such as craps, roulette, or keno. The player station includes a separate, changeable playboard for displaying a selected one of a plurality of wagering possibilities corresponding to a selected one of the plurality of games being played and for displaying the results of the game being played at the croupier station. The player station also includes a microprocessor for controlling the operation of the live game display and the operation of the separate, changeable playboard. The betting decisions required by the remote player for the croupier games are just as complicated as the actual games and no card games are mentioned. The Hodges et al. system is not practical because state gaming laws also require that the eligibility of a remote player be initially established and also be periodically verified by security personnel. No mention is made in the Hodges et al. patent for any player authentication at the remotely located player station, such as a hotel room, or convenience store or other xe2x80x9clicensablexe2x80x9d off-site locations.
A Molnick Patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,268, also discloses a method by which a remote player may participate in a live casino game from a location remote from a casino. A player establishes an information link with a casino from an interface station which includes a video monitor and a keypad, where the keypad is game specific and unchangeable. The Molnick patent also uses cameras and discloses table card games. The betting scheme of Molnick is just as complicated as the actual table game. The system of Molnick is also not practical. While modems and phones lines are used, compression and encryption are not. Molnick also does not use player eligibility authentication. Molnick displays to the remote player an entire gaming table with a number of xe2x80x9clivexe2x80x9d players, which would enable card counting and team playing by the remote players, both of which are not acceptable to casinos.
A need exists for a practical remote casino-type gaming system that would meet state gaming regulations, which are promulgated mainly to ensure the fairness of the game and eligibility of the players, such as age and creditworthiness. A need also exists for a system which would provide a smooth progression from regulated casino gaming to regulated remote on-site and off-site gaming and eventually to regulated Internet gaming.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a practical but remote player-friendly casino-type gaming system that meets the gaming legal regulations, as promulgated by the various governmental jurisdictions. The key benefits are: (a) ease of play, (b) retains most of the excitement of actual live participation, (c) ability to control rate of play, thereby reducing player stress, (d) ensures a greater level of privacy, thereby limiting embarrassment, (e) better utilization of the existing personnel and facility infrastructure, (f) enables gaming multimedia video product creation, advertising and branding by the casino, (g) enables regulated off-site gaming, including Internet, and (h) facilitates effective novice player education.
Some of the technical features of a system according to the invention include data compression with a video Codec using, for example, J/MPEG and other application-specific compression techniques. Data encryption is provided using, for example, DES 128 and strong RSA encryption. Various communication pathways are used such as copper, fiber-optic, and wireless, to interconnect the disclosed subsystems. Various communication network protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.XX, ITU/CCITT V Series protocol, TCP/IP) and network topologies (e.g., ring, star) are used to implement networks such as, for example, LAN, WAN, VPN, Cable Modems, ADSL, Satellite (e.g., QAM), Internet, wherein the forward path from the multimedia video source needs, for example, about one megabyte per second (1 MB/sec) data bandwidth capability and the return path needs capability in the range of about ten kilobytes per second (10 KB/sec), with further reductions provided with evolving MPEG.x technology. A communication distribution hub enables multiple games to be fed in and routed to multiple remote player stations. Legally certified random number generators (RNGs) are uses to randomly select one source for video multimedia signals from several incoming gaming video multimedia sources, in an autonomous manner, for each game episode presented to the remote player, at the remote player station.
The system includes a number of features. Virtual gaming at a remote site uses legally randomized live video or pre-recorded video. Pre-recorded video could be obtained from prior casino security video storage tapes or from tapes of closed regulated tournaments. If a random pre-recorded gaming episode is selected by the remote player, then its playback can be slowed down to reduce player stress. A remote on-site or off-site player bets, for or against, a live player while viewing either a live casino video signal or a pre-recorded casino video from any secure multimedia storage repository (e.g., disk, tape). Wagering rules for the games are simple as compared to more complicated live casino game wagering rules resulting in a new way of wagering on existing games, as well as the creation of new wagering games. Due to the simplicity of the betting rules, a remote player can concurrently play several dissimilar games at the same remote gaming station. The remote player can, in effect, virtually roam around a casino and virtually participate in a plurality of games without leaving the remote gaming station.
For remote gaming stations off-site of the casino premises, the remote gaming station is periodically monitored and recorded with a return path multimedia video camera/audio channel. Various biometric sensing systems are also used to validate a player""s identity. By using currently available videotapes or disks of all licensed table games that are recorded and stored as per currently promulgated regulatory requirements, surveillance and security functions for all the live casino tables can be cost-shared with the disclosed remote gaming system. Casino surveillance and security is enhanced by the superior quality of the live game multimedia video data used for the disclosed remote gaming station purposes. The off-site remote gaming player station is at the same security level as a bank ATM machine, perhaps including even the co-located security guards. The touch screen is spill and shatterproof and an audible alarm makes the remote player stations substantially tamperproof.
The multimedia video data stream for a live or pre-recorded game can be processed in real-time to generate and remotely display multimedia synthetic video signal which show, for example, enhanced images of cards, dice or roulette, as well as the progress and outcome of selected live or pre-recorded casino games.
Regulated live play or pre-recorded restricted access storage repository-based multimedia video, of hired casino shills or invited professional gamblers or invited celebrities at the gaming tables, enables a licensed casino to become a provider of multimedia gaming content, certified by government gaming authorities, similar to the movie/television entertainment production industry. The equipment required includes that which is currently used in the entertainment video production, video cable-based and Internet-based video content delivery systems. Moreover, in an instructional mode of operation, novice players are instructed by example, on how to play the various games in a relatively stress-free environment, by recognized gaming experts. Moreover, the video presentation can be slowed down to enable ease of viewing of the gaming action for a novice player.
The present invention includes a legally-authorized remote gaming system which includes a multimedia video source at a casino which provides a live video or pre-recorded restricted-access video signal depicting a legally-authorized live casino game. A player accounting and tracking subsystem manages the accounts, player compensation rating and surveillance for a remote off-site player, as well as the on-site player on casino premises. A communication distribution hub connects the multimedia video source and the player accounting and tracking subsystem to the remote player station. The remote player station includes a display for displaying to a remote player the live multimedia video or the pre-recorded multimedia video signal depicting the legally-authorized, live or pre-recorded, actual casino game. The remote player station also provides gaming information which enables the remote player to place a bet and otherwise provide inputs via a touchscreen or other means. The remote player station also provides gaming information to enable the remote player to receive a payout by electronic means or by mechanical means for the casino game currently being displayed on the station display. Moreover, the display can be a conventional color monitor or a stereo 3D head mounted goggles. The goggles can also be used to restrict viewing access, to only the eligible individual players. Biometric sensors can also be incorporated into the head-mounted remote player station. Furthermore, the entire remote player station can be wall-mounted, to facilitate ease of installation and better space utilization.